Quality of life comparison
If you lived in France instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 98.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 20.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2018. In France, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2018.
live 17.4 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2020. In France, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2020.
be 23.7% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In France, that number is 21.6% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.2 times more money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $13,600 as of 2017, while in France, the GDP per capita is $44,100 as of 2017.
be 65.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 27.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In France, that number is 9.4% as of 2017.
be 14.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In France, however, that number is 14.2% as of 2015.
pay a 11.6% higher top tax rate
South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In France, the top tax rate is 50.2% as of 2016.
Life
be 93.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In France, 8.0 women do as of 2017.
be 88.5% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 27.8 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In France, on the other hand, 3.2 children do as of 2020.
have 38.0% fewer children
In South Africa, there are approximately 19.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In France, there are 11.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 18.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 84% of the population has electricity access as of 2017. In France, 100% of the population do as of 2016.
be 46.1% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 56.2% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In France, about 82.0% do as of 2018.
Expenditures
spend 12.9% less on education
South Africa spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. France spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2016.
Geography
see 73.4% more coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, South African Revenue Service.
France: At a glance
How big is France compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.